


Wingman - Shouyou Hinata x Reader | COMPLETED

by IppenX



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Complete, F/M, Hinata tries his best I swear, Hugs, It's just really not working out the way he planned, Kisses, POV First Person, Relationship built from 0 bc that's how I roll
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-01 10:57:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13293363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IppenX/pseuds/IppenX
Summary: Helping out a friend isn't always easy, yet Hinata was still happy to do it. As with everything else, he promised to give it his all - but he never thought he'd accidentally give away his heart as well.





	1. The Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is a cross-posting account: I'm primarily active on Quotev.com, where you can find me under the same username [IppenX].  
> Link to original post: quotev.com/story/10173361

Hinata was standing outside the Sendai City Gymnasium, hiding from the pouring rain under the roof near the entrance. He kept locking and unlocking his phone to pass the time, a text from his best friend flashing on the screen each time he turned it on. He was just about to give him a call when he heard someone yell from the entrance:

"Shouyou!"

He turned his head, waving with his phone still in his hand: "Kouji! Heeeeey! You guys were amazing!"

Kouji shook his head with a disapproving look: "Come inside you idiot, you're gonna catch a cold!"

Hinata ran to the door, highfiving Kouji on the way in: "Sorry, I thought we agreed to meet outside?"

"Yeah but I didn't think it was gonna be raining!" He grumbled, grabbing his hand and dragging him down the hallway.

"Oh, I guess you're right. Anyway, that was amazing! You were amazing! That was the best soccer game I've ever been to!"

"It was the only soccer game you've ever been to."

"So? It was so epic! Like when you did that _gwaaah_ kick and then the other guy did the _kabooom_  and the ball want right into the net! I am so happy you guys won!"

"But ... we beat Karasuno to a pulp."

"Well ... uhm ... they deserved it! I definitely rooted for your team the whole time! The _whole_  time, I swear! Also ... where are we going?" Hinata asked, realizing he had no idea where Kouji was dragging him.

"You'll see."

"Wait, I almost forgot, what was that text about? What do you wanna talk to me about?"

"I said you'll see! Now shut up!" Kouji hissed at him, putting a hand across his mouth to silence him as they stopped at a corner of a staircase, looking down to where the Karasuno soccer team was getting ready to leave their dressing room and go back home.

For a while, Kouji scanned the crowd before suddenly pointing out: "Her! Do you know her?"

Hinata followed his friend's gaze, his eyes landing on an upbeat girl meticulously putting soccer balls into a duffel bag while also handing out drinks while also grabbing a pack of tissues from her pocket and throwing it to their captain who was crying in the corner - all at almost the exact same time.

Still watching the girl take multitasking to another level, he slowly nodded, his head tilted to the side in confusion: "Yeah ... she's our younger manager's best friend. Why?" He turned to look at Kouji and was shocked to see his best friend's face completely red.

The blushing soccer star looked to the ground as he pulled Hinata back around the corner, hiding his eye-catching orange hair from view. He mumbled something before turning around and heading back where they came from.

"Kouji? Huh... wait, Kouji? What did you say? I didn't hear it!" Hinata ran after him, no idea what was going on.

"I said ... if maybe you know ... if she has a boyfriend?" Kouji asked again, his voice still barely audible.

"Haaaaa?" A gasp escaped Hinata's mouth before a wide grin spread across his face: "Wait ... Kouji, you have a crush on our soccer manager!"

"I told you to shut up!"

"But you totally have a crush on her!"

"Well okay, maybe I like her a lot, so what?"

"What do you mean "so what?" Did you talk to her yet? Do you have her number? Do you guys talk often?"

"We obviously don't!"

"You ... don't?" Hinata stopped in his tracks, confused once again ... but then again, he was confused a lot whenever something other than volleyball was going on.

Kouji finally looked up at him, trying to smile a little: "I ... uhm ... I guess I owe you a little explanation. I'm sorry I got upset at you, I just ... urgh .... when I'm around her, I just can't think straight!"

Hinata reached out, patting him on the shoulder. "It's okay. So ..."

"I met her last month, at the preliminaries. I hurt my ankle in the second half and had to go get it checked out, but when I got there, all the nurses were super busy with other injuries already, so ... I just kinda sat and waited. And then, she came through the door with one of your guys who scraped his knee really bad, he was bleeding. As they were putting bandages on his foot, she sat down beside me and started talking out of nowhere, she asked me which team I'm from, how our game is going, which year I'm in ... and she even asked what happened to me, so I told her that I was trying to avoid running into our left-winger and then took a weird step and put too much pressure on my ankle and ..."

"And?"

"And then she smiled and asked if I mind letting her look at it. I didn't really register what she said so I nodded and then before I knew it, she was already putting elastic bandages around my ankle and saying I just pulled a ligament and it definitely wasn't sprained, but I should still rest for a few days. And then she went on about how sister works there as a nurse and she's also going to study medicine and ... and ... I can't really remember the rest of it. I was completely done for by then. She's so cute and so nice and so beautiful and ... gaaaah, I can't handle this!"

"Well, go talk to her!"

"That's the thing, Shouyou ... I can't. It would be weird! I can't just show up to some other team's dressing room and ask to chat with their manager - they'd carry me outside single-handed! I've seen what Karasuno guys do with people trying to talk to their girls! Do you think I have a death wish? No, no, no ..."

"Uhm ...." Hinata spoke up but stopped right away, thinking for a moment.

_Well ... I can't tell him he's being stupid. For all I know, maybe our soccer team also has a Tanaka and Noya ... but Tanaka and Noya are good guys!_

"You don't have to be afraid of scary guys! They're actually really nice ... well, at least our two are."

Kouji sighed, fidgeting with the sleeves of his sports jacket. "Thanks for encouraging me, but I had something else in mind when I said I wanted to talk to you."

"Eeeeh??"

"Remember that wanna-be volleyball team we helped you with? You still owe me one for that, right?"

"Yeah, I do!"

"Well ... do you think you could maybe ... you know, since you know me, and you said you know her too, do you think there's any chance you could ... you know?"

Hinata grinned again, putting Kouji out of his misery: "Absolutely! I'll be the best wingman you can imagine!!"

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Well, duh! I'm a crow, I pretty much have literal wings on my back - I can totally do this!"

Smiling thankfully, Kouji finally loosened up as they headed back outside and onto the bus home.

 

Later that night, Hinata lay in bed, feeling super proud of himself.

_Kouji asked me for help - that's awesome! I can totally do this. I can totally, totally do this!_

 

But he totally, totally couldn't.


	2. Chapter 2

Resting my head on my school desk in the morning, I watched Yachi in the seat before me as she chatted with another one of our classmates. Not long after, she turned to me, a cautious smile on her face:

"Hey ... I heard you guys lost yesterday. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. We were bound to lose sooner or later - it would be weird if suddenly, two teams from Karasuno made it to nationals. This isn't a sports manga ... it's just how life is. Not everyone can win."

"Don't say that ..."

"But ... it's the truth. There is only one winner."

She shook her head: "I didn't mean that. I was talking about you saying it was "okay" when it obviously isn't ... when you obviously aren't."

"Ah Yachi ... you're such a sunshine marshmallow."

"Th-thank you. I wanted to take you out for tea today, but the thing is, Hinata still doesn't really get participles and his English exam is next week, so ..."

I nodded, understanding she had her own things going on even if she wanted to cheer me up. "Speaking of the devil ..." I mumbled as the sound of loud footsteps in the hall halted in front of our classroom.

As the door opened, I immediately lifted my head, straightening my posture and smiling brightly - it was pretty much a natural instinct at this point. If you have an older brother on the soccer team, you learn to never, ever show sadness or disappointment or despair in front of athletes - they have enough of their own to deal with.

It didn't matter that this silly ginger-haired chibi was a volleyball player.

It didn't matter that his team was headed to Nationals.

I still felt like I had to keep up a positive, energetic aura - so I did.

Yachi waved to him as he walked in, but curiously enough, as he stopped at her desk, his gaze slowly shifted over to me: he stared for a while before smiling brightly and even though we hardly spoke before, in that moment, I admired him - because that smile had no ulterior motive. It was pure and honest. He was smiling because he wanted to smile ... and I've always found those kinds of smiles utterly captivating.

"Hey ... I saw you guys lose yesterday."

I tilted my head sideways at the brief flash of deja vu. But it wasn't Yachi saying it this time - it was Hinata.

"You what- wait, oh my god, is one of our guys crying in the hallway somewhere?" I almost jumped up from my desk, ready to run out and even miss the first class if I had to.

But with a slight push to my shoulder, Hinata stopped me, sending me back onto my chair. "Woah ... I'm sorry! I should have phrased that better - I was at the game, actually."

"You were?"

He nodded. "My best friend's team played against you guys ... I'm not sure if you remember him, he's their ... uhm ... striker, I think? The one who kicks the ball at the front a lot."

"You're friends with Sekimukai?!" I yelped, almost swallowing his name.

His eyes widened and so did his smile: "Oh, you know him! Yeah, me and Kouji have known each other ever since we were little! He's so awesome, I swear."

"He's a monster, if anything. I'm sure some of our guys would love to know how he learned those precise angle shots - we couldn't do anything about those in the match."

"Hmm ..." Hinata mumbled, scratching his head as he thought about something. "Oh, I know! Yachi's coming over to my house today to teach me English, and I was planning to take her to a ramen shop afterwards to thank her, so how about you come with us? I'll call Kouji and ask if he has time, I'm sure he'd gladly give you advice if you ask him nicely!"

"You think he'd do that?"

"Definitely! He's the nicest, most selfless guy I know! He'd be happy to! That means you're coming with us?"

I thought about it for a while. "Well, I guess ... it depends on where you live. Because I need to take the bus over the mountain to get home, and those stop running early."

Yachi piped up, shaking her head: "Actually, Hinata is from that side too!"

I looked up at him, our eyes meeting for a moment before both of us blurted out:

"Wait, what?"

He pointed to the mountain through the window, completely confused: "You live over there?"

I nodded. "Yeah ... basically in the first group of houses on the other side, a little outside of the town."

"Oh ... I guess? I'm from the other side of town, but still ... I played there all the time when I was little and I don't think I've ever seen you!"

"You probably didn't. I went to junior high in Sendai because my mom works there."

"Then how come you're at Karasuno?"

I chuckled. "You're asking that as if I shouldn't be here! No real reason, I guess. My brother's best friend went here because he knew some of the guys on the former soccer team, and my brother followed him, and then two years later, I just followed my brother because it would be kinda impractical for us to go to different high schools, don't you think?"

"Umhp .... yes. You have a brother?"

"You didn't know? That's weird. Everyone says I look just like him - he's the team captain!"

"Hmm ... now that I think of it, you do have similar hair."

"Similar? You're kidding me!" I said, chuckling again. "It's identical in color. Yachi always says someone must be dying our hair in our sleep because there's no other way it would look like that."

"Exactly!" She called out, laughing with me. "And you should have seen photos of them when they were little - I couldn't tell them apart at all! At least now she's got longer hair than him ... and boobs, of course." She hinted, feigning innocence.

"Yachi! Damn y-" I mumbled, my sentence getting swallowed up in laughter. It couldn't be helped anymore - I was twisting in my seat, cackling like a helium-fueled hyena on an LSD rush.

The rest of my class was used to it by now - but it was Hinata's first time seeing me laugh, and sure enough, his jaw dropped just a little.

Yachi tugged on his sleeve, trying to hide her own amusement: "I guarantee you that she is a proper lady most of the time - until you tell her a bad joke or something. Then, she turns into ... whatever this is."

He looked at her while pointing at me: "I ... I don't get it. Is she choking?"

"No!! She's laughing."

"Hwaaaaa?? That's her laughter?!"

"Yes! Isn't it hilarious? I'll never forget the first time I heard it! It was the first day of classes and our homeroom teacher read someone's last name completely wrong - we all laughed a little, but then she started laughing too and I swear, none of us had any idea what was going on! But oh my god, she's hilarious when she laughs. We all stared at her. And then everyone was trying to make her laugh all the time."

"Y-Yeah." I uttered, finally able to compose myself. "And we became best friends because she just wouldn't leave me alone. Everyone else moved on after a week or two, but then you have Yachi who still googles bad puns on her way to school just so she can embarrass me further. I'm sorry you had to see me like this, Hinata ..."

"Oooooh, don't worry about me! I'm fine! So, is that a yes?"

I nodded, wiping away the tears that formed in the corners of my eyes. "Sure - if Yachi doesn't accidentally kill me by the end of the day, I'll join you guys. Practice is off for the week either way."

"Great!" He yelled out, jumping with his fist in the air. "I'll see you guys after school then!"

I stared after him as he left, occasionally glancing at Yachi as I tried to read the expression on her face. "Did you set this up to stop me from sulking?"

She immediately shook her head: "I didn't! I was a little surprised too ... he looked like he was worried about you, didn't he? I didn't know you two were friends."

"We aren't! That's why I'm asking if you told him to come cheer me up - because the only other times I've talked to him were whenever he needed answers for his English homework and you weren't here when he came looking for you."

Yachi smiled, shrugging her shoulders: "Well, I guess that's Hinata for you: he's a simpleton, but he notices the feelings of others very well, actually. Maybe he saw you after the game yesterday and thought you looked sad ... and he always tries to cheer up everyone, so yeah ... that's totally like him."

I sighed, leaning back in my seat. At that point, it didn't really matter to me why he thought it was necessary to invite me to go out with his friends - I had something to do in the afternoon instead of keeping to myself, and that was enough.

 

~~~

 

Hinata rushed back to his classroom, texting Kouji about everything that just happened. After reassuring him three or four times that he doesn't have to be nervous, he agreed to meet them at his place later in the day.

That being settled, Hinata put away his phone just in time before his Math class started ... but as always, his thoughts drifted far away from the fractions on the board. He gazed through the window, feeling content with what he managed to achieve today:

_That was easier than I thought it would be. I never paid much attention to her, but I totally understand Kouji ... she's kind of ... wooooow and has this weird gwaaaah type of aura around her!_


	3. Chapter 3

After class, Yachi and I both headed to the station and got on the bus. As always, I listened to her go on and on about the volleyball team and I have to admit, it was starting to slowly stick with me: I memorized some positions already and even knew some of the guys by name, beside the obviously apparent Hinata and Kageyama, who I'm pretty sure spent more time in our class during breaks than anyone else.

"... and then, out of nowhere, Asahi came running and _baaam_ , the ball went over!"

"Asahi ... that's the ace, right?"

"Yes! Oh, I just remembered I never asked you if there are aces in soccer too?"

"Hmm ... well, it's not really like that. Your guys are on their side of the net, but mine mix with the opposite team all the time. And you always have someone covering you - that means they're limiting your movements and trying to intercept any passes sent your way. So you often don't have the space to pull off something super flashy ... but I guess there are positions that are a little more awesome than others when it comes to the viewer's perspective?"

"Really? Which ones?"

I chuckled a little at how interested she was, even though it barely concerned her at all. "The captains are always super popular ..."

"So that's why your brother always has a flock of girls around him?"

"Nope, that's just because he's awesome. Other than the captain, I think the most flashy positions are the left and right wing, and of course the front striker - those usually score the most points. And if you have a really skilled striker, like Sekimukai for example, then you'll be able to do a lot more in terms of offense."

"Your brother's a striker too, isn't he?"

"He is - a really powerful one and super reliable too. Yesterday, we ... we didn't lose because we'd have too little firepower. We lost because the opponents had too much of it ... freaking Sekimukai, for hell's sake."

Yachi giggled, punching my shoulder: "Look who's jealous!"

"Of course I am! I wish our team had someone like that! I mean ... I hate to admit it, and Fumio would get super pissed at me for saying that, but ... while he's a good striker, he's nowhere near the level of what we've seen yesterday."

"Yeah ... it is weird to hear you not put your brother on a pedestal for once. But what makes Hinata's friend that much better?"

"I didn't know until it was too late either. I've heard rumors about him being some kind of prodigy or whatnot, but seeing him play was ... insane. Like most of our offense, Fumio is really strong - but he has his limits. If the ball is too off to the side, he's much less likely to accurately hit it into the net. He has to sacrifice some power in order to maintain control, and that makes it easier for the goalie to catch it. It's a pretty common thing, especially in high school soccer teams. But every now and then, you have a monster like Sekimukai, someone who can shoot almost parallel to the goal line and still have it almost rip the net on impact. And that brings up another problem: for most teams, if the ball is under a difficult angle, you know they're gonna try for another pass before they shoot at the goal. But with Sekimukai, you can't know - will he hit it or will he pass it just to throw our defense off?"

"Sounds ... infuriating."

"Oh trust me, it is. And you know what irks me the most? I actually kinda met him at the prelims last month, though I doubt he remembers. Our left wing scraped his knee, so I thought I'd take him to the nurse's office and maybe see if Machi was working the shift. She wasn't there, but guess who was."

"Hinata's friend?"

"Yup. With stretched ligaments on his ankle - it's not some super heavy injury, but still ... it's annoying to see him kick like nothing was ever wrong with his foot to begin with. Gwaaaah, I guess super talented people just get on my nerves easily."

"Uh-oh ... then you might not like hanging out with Hinata!"

"Huh? That ginger is talented?" I asked, surprise to hear her say that.

"Well duh, don't I always tell you stuff about him?"

"Yeah, but it's always like: "Kageyama did this and then Hinata did that." I always thought Kageyama was the genius."

"He is ... well, as far as volleyball goes. But Hinata is nothing to scowl at either! His jump and speed are breathtaking, not to mention his stamina - speaking of which, there." She pointed out through the bus window just as we were about to pass a cyclist relentlessly climbing the steep mountain slope.

I stared at the guy for a moment, my mouth falling open when his face came into sight: "Hinata??!"

"Yup!"

"On a bike? Is he insane?"

"Yes and ... uhm ... possibly. But he always takes the bike, even if it's pouring rain. I always see him when I come over to tutor him, he usually catches up with me before I even get to his house from the bus stop."

"That's ... wow ... I have no words. He really didn't stand out to me as someone who'd have such great natural ability."

"I think he's different from most talented players ... " Yachi mumbled, a proud smile on her face. "Because unlike them, he actually has to first reach a point where he'll be able to fully utilize his talent. He is gifted in certain areas, but lacks in others ... so it kinda evens out!"

"Yeah ... he's really short for a volleyball player that's not a libra."

"A libero."

"A libewhatever!" I called out, laughing slightly but making sure I stopped myself before the whole bus could hear me. "I didn't even know someone as short as him could be any good in other positions."

"He may be short, but ... Hinata has more than enough heart to make up for it." She said, smiling softly.

"Oh? What do I see there? Does Yachi have a crush?"

She looked at me with a puzzled expression on her face before bursting out laughing: "No! You silly, stop it! I don't have a crush on him!" Calming down, she gave a sheepish gaze: "But seriously, I don't like him like that, you know ... I'd tell you if I would, so don't spread any rumors or anything!"

"Okay, okay, it was just a joke! But I'd totally understand if you'd have a crush on him - I mean, he's really handsome."

She gasped, her mouth gaping open: "He's ... what?"

"Uhm ... handsome? You know, like ... good-looking?"

"You're the first person I've ever heard say something like that about him! Wait - do _you_  have a crush on Hinata?"

I threw my jacket at her as she squirmed in her seat: "I most certainly don't! How could I like him if I barely know him??"

"Sorry!" She sighed, giggling like a child. "But ... you two would look super cute together!"

I took my jacket back, throwing it on as we exited the bus. "Come on ... I said that he was cute, not that I wanna marry him."

"You don't have to marry him, just ask him out!"

I turned to her, pinching her cheeks and pulling them apart: "You. Need. To. Keep. Your. Shipping. To. Your. Manga. Characters. Got it? Now where's Hinata's house?"

"Just down there." She pointed to a street, chuckling as I followed her.

"Stop it."

"Can I have a speech at the wedding?"

I reached into my bag, took out a notebook and slammed my forehead into it. "I am not marrying him, damn it!" I called out as the sound of bicycle brakes squeaked behind me.

 

"Marrying who?"


	4. Chapter 4

I turned around, my face glowing red the instant I saw Hinata looking at me from his bike with a quizzical expression on his face. There was a somewhat worried smile on his face and his orange hair glowed in the warm afternoon sunlight.

_Yachiiiii, why??! I don't like him like that, but that still doesn't mean I want to look like an idiot in front of him! No one wants to look stupid in front of someone this attractive ... but then again, why did me saying he was attractive surprise you so much?_

From the day he first walked into our classroom, I never really considered it.

 _Wait ... is it possible that people actually look at him and **don't**_   _think he's attractive? What the hell ..._

"Oh, nothing much, just an inside joke!" Yachi piped up, saving me from my thoughts and my misery.

"Y-Yeah!"

He smiled at us, getting off of his bike and walking beside us. "Oh, okay!! I almost thought your boyfriend proposed to you or something!"

"Huh? Are you nuts? I don't even have a boyfriend!"

"Awesome!" He said, smiling brightly. "I was just asking, you know ... nothing else."

I looked up at the sky with a silly grin on my face: "Who the hell proposes in the 1st year of high school? Get your mind out of the gutter, both of you!"

Yachi leaned closer to him, pretending to whisper while still speaking loud enough for me to hear: "I think she doesn't like us."

Completely unfazed, Hinata shrugged his shoulders: "She doesn't have to! Kouji's coming over in an hour, then they can talk all they want."

 

When we got to his house a short while later, I left the two of them alone in his room since I didn't really feel like listening to Hinata struggle with English for an hour. He showed me to a sofa in the living room and gave me free rein over the TV remote before going back to Yachi, and while I did flip through some channels, I eventually decided to just take a nap.

 

~~~

 

About an hour later, Hinata's phone went off just as he finished filling the assignment Yachi gave him. He glanced at the screen, reading Kouji's text:

"Be there in a few minutes. I'M GONNA DIE, THIS WAS A BAD IDEA."

He quickly hid the phone from Yachi's sight as he stood up, stretching restlessly. "Kouji's almost here, I'll go open the door for him. Want a glass of water?"

"Yes, thank you!"

"Okay! I'll be right back!" He said, already sprinting down the hallway.

 

"Gwaaaah, this is gonna be awesooooo-" He cut his enthusiastic yell short as he busted into the living room and saw her sleeping on the sofa. Stopping himself from running into the nearest wall due to the surprise, he ended up tripping over his feet, landing marvelously on the floor in front of the sofa.

He blinked a couple times, making sure he didn't hit his head - which he didn't, and that was good. But what wasn't good was the fact that now, he had the perfect view of her sleeping face and ... oh sweet volleyball deities, what a sight that was.

Her head was nearing the edge of the sofa, close to tumbling over. Her slow, peaceful breathing made the strands of hair covering her face shift slightly with every breath she took and when the loose hairs tickled her eyelids, they twitched just a little before returning to their graceful state.

Hinata saw a bunch of cute girls before. Heck, he even saw  _her_  a fair amount of times ... but he didn't pay enough attention. He didn't notice how gorgeous she was until Kouji pointed her out, but now he couldn't ignore it even if he wanted to. Utterly mesmerized, he slowly lifted his hand to her face, pushing the loose strands of hair away as his fingertips brushed against her cheek.

_Oh my god ... calling you gorgeous is an understatement. You're breathtaking. No, not even that, you're ..._

The sound of the doorbell ringing pulled him out of his daze and he shot up from the floor like an arrow, his cheeks turning crimson red as he ran towards the door.

_What ... what was I just doing?_

He shook his head as he opened the door, letting Kouji in:

"Hey!! I've been waiting for you, I was just about to completely give up on English! It's soooooo hard! You came at just the right moment, you're a literal savior!"

"Uhm ... yeah." Kouji gulped, uncharacteristically quiet. "Are you okay though?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine - why?"

"Your face is red."

"Oh, that! I had to slap myself to stay awake." Hinata blurted out as fast as he could. "But it seems like I wasn't the only one who could use an afternoon nap."

"Huh?"

Hinata led him to the living room, pointing to the sofa: "There."

Kouji gasped silently, his cheeks blushing. "Oh my god, she's ... oh my god, Shouyou! I can't handle this, she's adorable!" He whispered.

"I kn- I'm glad you think so." Hinata mumbled, barely able to swallow his initial words. "I'm gonna wake her up though, unless you want to?"

"Wait, what- Shouyou no!" He called out when he saw Hinata make his way to the kitchen.

Too late: seconds later, he was back with two glasses of water. "Don't worry, one of them is for Yachi to drink."

Kouji tried to stop him, but couldn't.

 

~~~

 

My eyes shot open as I felt something cold hit my face. The first thing in my view was Hinata, standing above me with a huge grin on his face:

"Good morning! Kouji's here, have fun. He knows where the snacks are in the kitchen."

I sat up only to see him walking towards his room without a care in the world. "Hinata, you bastard!"

"It's pointless. I tried to stop him, but he's a real simpleton when he shouldn't be. I'm sorry."

I looked behind me to see Sekimukai standing in the middle of the living room, a small smile on his lips. "Oh, don't worry about it ... it's just a little water!"

"Still, that's no way to treat a girl."

I chuckled, standing up. "Thanks for your concern, I guess? Hi, I'm-"

"I know." He said, cutting me off. "I mean, I ... uhm ... I remember. You know, from the first you introduced yourself?"

"Oh, you remember that?"

"Well, you fixed my foot - how could I forget that?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I didn't think the great Sekimukai would remember a small moment like that."

"Please ... Kouji is fine. And I'm not that good!"

"Pshh, not that good. You better bring over those snacks right now before I get angry. Not that good. What bullshit!" I tried sounding grumpy, but the sarcasm in my tone of voice was more than apparent.

"Coming right up miss. There's never a lack of food in the Hinata household! His parents often work late, so his mom makes all the meals in the morning ... and buys a ton of snacks."

He came back to the living room a minute later with a bowl of chips and a bag of candy, laying them both down on the little coffee table in front of the sofa.

"May I?" He asked, pointing to the where I was sitting.

"Obviously, do I look like I need the whole sofa to myself?"

"You don't! I was just, you know, being polite!" He mumbled, blushing a little.

"No need to be! If anything, I should be doing that ... since I do want to interrogate you about your technique!"

"Go ahead, ask me anything."

I watched him as he sat down next to me. In my mind, I already had a bunch of questions ready to shoot at him, so this was perfect. Absolutely perfect. We talked long into the evening, eventually joined by Hinata and Yachi once they completed all their work. It was so much fun that it didn't take long before I completely forgot about the sorrow my team faced the day before.


	5. Chapter 5

The four of us were still talking in Hinata's living room when his parents got home, making Yachi jump up and run off to Hinata's room in panic:

"Eeeek, I almost missed the bus AGAIN! I can't believe it's 8 already!"

Hinata's dad chuckled, looking at the rest of us: "This happens almost every time. Shouyou, were you a good student?"

"I was, you can ask her!"

Dragging her bag down the hallway, Yachi nodded: "He was. Thank you for having me over."

"Gladly, sweetie!" His mom smiled, giving her a hug at the door. "And thank you for helping him out! Stop by the shop any time you want, the meal's on us - it's the least we can do!"

"Shop?" I asked, looking at Hinata as I waved goodbye to Yachi.

"You know the noodle place on the main street? That's ours."

"Wow! That's awesome ... even though I've never been there."

"You haven't?"

I shook my head. "Nope. But I know almost every restaurant in Sendai, if it helps."

"Pshh ... city girl. You're totally missing out! I'll have to take you there some day ... but I barely have time between practice and English lessons, so Kouji should take you instead! What do you think?" He turned to him with a wide grin.

"T-Totally! I mean, that's ... if we ever hang out again?"

Giggling, I lightly punched his shoulder: "What do you mean, _if_? Does it look like I'm done questioning you?"

"You don't." He mumbled, smiling just a little.

Looking at us, Hinata suddenly grinned like a maniac: "Hey, why don't we meet at our school next time?"

"Your school?" Kouji asked, giving him a confused look.

"Yeah! You know, so you can actually show her the kicky-runny stuff in person?"

I leaned towards Kouji, fake whispering as I stared at Hinata: "Kicky-runny stuff?"

Mimicking my movement, he whispered back: "That's what he calls it most of the time. Don't tell him it's soccer, we don't want to break it to him just yet."

"Got it. Yeah, I'm totally up for that!"

"Awwww, aren't both of you so wonderfully sarcastic?" Hinata laughed, jumping on the edge of the sofa.

 

We talked for a while more before Kouji's phone rang on the coffee table.

"Who is it?" He asked Hinata, who was sitting the closest to it.

Hinata reached out for the phone, handing it back to Kouji: "Your dad."

"Shit, really?" He mumbled, answering the call: "Hey, what's up? .... Yeah, I'm at Shouyou's house ... Wait, you mean now? As in, right now? ... No, I just wanted to, uhm ... Okay, I'll be out in a minute."

"Something wrong?" I asked, sensing that he sounded a little disappointed

He smiled, looking at me: "No. He just said he'll come pick me up and wants me to get my ass outside right away ... which is a shame, because I was gonna offer to walk you home."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine, I promise!"

He sighed, looking at Hinata: "Could you do it instead of me?"

Confused, I watched as Hinata nodded: "No problem. You know you can rely on me!"

"Thank you!" He called out, highfiving Hinata before turning to me: "And ... uhm ... thank you too. I've had fun today ... and I hope you don't mind Hinata walking you home instead of me."

I shook my head: "If you insist ... it's okay. I had fun too! When are you gonna come visit Karasuno?"

"I have no idea." He mumbled, nervously checking the time on his phone. "I really have to go now, so ... would you mind giving me your number so that we can make plans once I have time?"

"Sure!" I took the phone from his hands, typing in my number. "There you go - send me a text or something so that I'll have yours too!"

"Will do! And really ... thank you guys!" He said, putting on his shoes before he went flying out the door.

 

Giggling, Hinata looked at me: "What a dork, right?"

"Look who's talking - you two are super similar in that aspect!"

He waved his hands, instantly trying to deny what I said: "Me and Kouji, similar? Nooooo, not at all! Okay, maybe a little ... but he's totally someone I should look up to! He works really hard, he's an amazing friend, he's very responsible and ... when someone means a lot to him, he'll do anything to make them happy! A great guy, really! The best, actually - just don't tell Izumi I said that."

"Who's Izumi?"

"Oh, another friend of ours. We went to junior high together - I'm sure you'll meet him if you hang out with Kouji in the future, they're in the same high school after all." He said, stretching his hands above his head. "We should probably get going too. I mean, I don't mind having you here at all, but we have morning practice tomorrow and I need to get my sleep ... sorry."

"Don't be!" I said, smiling at him. "Come on, let's go then - I don't want Yachi getting mad at me for keeping you up late!"

We both put on our jackets and headed out the door after he yelled out to his parents that he'll be back home soon. Walking up the street, we were caught in a bubble of silence - listening to the slow sounds of the early winter night, watching as our breath turned to mist in the cold air.

"Hey ..." I mumbled, eventually breaking the silence. "If both your junior high friends went to another high school, how come you went to Karasuno?"

"Well, it was an easy choice - have you ever heard of the Small Giant?"

"I haven't."

"He was a volleyball player at Karasuno ... he played at the nationals years ago and I saw that game on TV: it's the reason I fell in love with this sport! He was super short, like me, but he was just ... so _gwaaaaah_ and _baaaamph_!"

I chuckled at his enthusiastic explanation, in awe at how his eyes sparkled: "That's ... kinda amazing."

"I know, right?! He's a legend!"

"Oh ... yeah, but I didn't mean that." I looked to the ground, embarrassed that he misunderstood me.

"Huh? Then what did you mean?"

I sighed, mumbling quietly: "The fact that you found a dream and followed it ... that's amazing. You're amazing, Hinata."

"Uhm ... thank you. But you're amazing too!"

I looked up to see him grinning widely. "Me? Amazing? W-Why?"

He shrugged his shoulders: "I told you I watched the game, didn't I? Well ... pretty much, I went to see Kouji once the match was over and I passed your dressing room on the way and ... I saw how beat up everyone was - everyone except for you. You were full of energy, smiling and comforting everyone; you were literally shining! I don't know if I could smile like that right after facing defeat."

I blushed a little, but at the same time, my heart sunk as I remembered how painfully fake those smiled were.

_I don't want him to see me as this gloriously positive person ... he's not part of our team, he doesn't need to see me in that way, it doesn't even make sense for him to see me like that ..._

Shaking off my thoughts, I opened my mouth, a hesitant breath escaping before I finally uttered my question:

"Hey Hinata ... can I tell you a secret?"


	6. Chapter 6

He stared at me for a while before looking away. "Uhmm ... if you want to tell me something, you definitely can! I promise I won't tell anyone."

I looked up at the sky, staring at the stars for a while as I searched for the best possible words, but in the end, I just said exactly what I've been thinking:

"I didn't want to smile."

Without saying anything, Hinata waited for me to go on.

And I did: once I got over those first few words, the rest just came pouring out of me. "I didn't want to smile, damn it! I didn't want to smile when we lost ... I never want to smile when we lose. But I can't stop myself from doing it: my brother played soccer ever since he was little, I grew up watching his team win and lose matches and it was so, so great when they won ... but when they lost, everyone was so sad and disappointed and hurt, I just couldn't bear to watch them. I felt like crying every single time, I still do, but ... it feels selfish to cry. It was their effort that wasn't enough, not mine. Even now that I'm a manager, they're still the ones laying down all the hard work ... so they're the ones who get to cry. And they need someone to be there for them, you know? I like doing that. I always liked being there for Fumio whenever he lost a game ... but that meant having to smile. It meant having to pretend like I didn't feel the same disappointment he did, or at least that I could see past it while he wasn't able to. But I got used to it ... I have this athlete complex, I guess, where whenever I'm around someone who plays sports competitively, I always feel the need to be super happy and positive, and I am like that most of the time ... but sometimes, I just ... don't feel like that. Sometimes, I wish that I could cry when shitty things happen."

In the cold night air, I suddenly felt a sense of warmth in my palm as he took my hand, squeezing it tightly as we walked: "Your brother is very lucky to have a sister like you. His whole team is lucky to have someone like you and ... I'm sorry. I didn't know. I wouldn't have complimented you on it if I knew it was a fake smile."

"Maybe I should forget medicine and start an acting career ..." I mumbled, forcing a laugh.

"You could totally be an actress if you wanted to! You have all the actress traits!"

"Really? Like what?"

"Oh ... uhm ... well ... your stupid fake smile, to begin with."

As we turned the corner into my street, I finally laughed for real at his comment: "Yeah ... my stupid fake smile. Stupid is exactly what it is. By the way, this is my house." I stopped, pointing at the house in front of us. "Thank you for walking me here ... and please don't tell that to anyone." I pleaded, lowering my voice.

"I won't." He whispered back, squeezing my hand even tighter. It was in that moment that both of us realized we were still holding hands: as we both awkwardly let go at the same time, I was too busy worrying about my blushing face to notice that his had also turned bright pink.

"Yeah, uhm ... so .... thank you."

He shook his head, hiding his hands in his pockets: "No, thank _you_! Hanging out with you and Kouji was a great relief after all the verbs Yachi showed me!"

"Well ... we'll see each other around, right?"

"Yeah ... let me know when Kouji's gonna come visit! He'll probably forget to tell me."

"I will! Goodnight, Hinata!" I waved goodbye to him and turned around to leave, but as I searched for my keys walking up to the door, I heard his voice call after me:

"Hey ..."

I looked back, seeing him standing there with the most gorgeous smile I've ever seen: "Yes?"

"You can cry in front of me ... if you ever need to. Just know that you can."

Speechless, I nodded, watching as he turned and left just as care-free as he came. It wasn't until he was finally out of sight that I finally noticed how quickly my heart was beating from just hearing those simple words.

_I can cry if I ever need to? That's ... no one's ever said that to me before. I'm sure people think it's an obvious thing ... but still, he said it out loud. Yachi was right - he really is a nice person!_

 

_~~~_

 

Leaving her street, Hinata started running back towards his home, their conversation replaying in his head.

_Come on, what's my problem? I almost said it ..._

Running out of breath, he stopped halfway, panting heavily.

_"You have all the actress traits!"_

_"Really? Like what?"_

Looking at the starry sky, he closed his eyes, murmuring to himself: "You're smart, funny and ... the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

Before he could get lost in his thoughts any further, his phone started vibrating in his pocket with an incoming call from Kouji. Continuing his walk home, he ecstatically picked up:

"Kouji! What do you think?!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" A muffled scream came from the other end of the line.

"Kouji? What are you doing ...."

"I'm screaming into my pillow, you idiot ... gaaahahahaha, I'm so happy, I could die!"

"I can barely understand what you're saying ..."

"This is how you sound most of the time! Anyway, I just texted her, we talked a bit and I'm coming to your school tomorrow! Shouyouuuuu!!!"

"That's awesome! Does it seem like she likes you?"

"I don't know, maybe???? That can always happen later, I'm just so happy right now I can barely think of anything!"

"Go get her, Kouji! Go get her! She's perfect for you, I mean it!"

"I will, I promise, I will get her! You think we could ask her to hang out again next time you'll be learning English?"

"Uhm ... sure, but don't you want the two of you to be alone together?"

"Yeah, but I don't wanna rush it. So if it's not a problem with you ..."

"It definitely isn't - anything for a friend!"

"You're the best, Shouyou ... the best! I'll see you tomorrow then, right?"

"Right! See you!"

 

Staring at the phone in his hand, Hinata quietly made his way back into the house and to his room down the hallway. He meant everything he said to Kouji, every last word of it ... but it still made him feel weird. He eventually fell asleep, but not before the whole day replayed in his head a thousand times, the memories of her more vivid than he'd want them to be.


	7. Chapter 7

Stopping by a window in the first year hallway, Hinata looked outside. He stared at Kouji for a while, forcing himself not to gaze at her by his side, but he couldn't ignore the sight of her laughing at his jokes, fixing her hair in the wind, smiling as she listened to whichever stupid soccer game Kouji was rambling on about this time.

Shaking his head, he clenched his hands into fists and stepped away from the window, knowing damn well he wasn't doing himself any good. Walking slowly towards his shoe locker, he tried his best not to let his thoughts get to him, but to no avail.

_It's been what ... two months since the first time Kouji stopped by? He's coming here more often now ... and it used to be the whole team, but now it's just him and her hanging out most of the time ... that means there's something going on between them, isn't it? I guess they're not together yet ... but I'm pretty sure they will be - soon._

_But this is what I wanted, isn't it? I wanted her to fall in love with h-_

"Hinata!"

Startled, he looked up, seeing Yachi run towards him with a smile. "Oh ... hey!" He greeted her, attempting to sound enthusiastic.

"Come on now, don't be so upset! I promise we won't do a lot of vocabulary today, just the first 3 pages!"

"That's ... already a lot."

"It really isn't, I promise! Speaking of which ... would it be okay if we start an hour later than usual? Mom asked me to go grocery shopping since she'll be home late again."

Hinata nodded, not really able to care about when his English torture would begin. "Got it ... guess I'll just go home and get my notes ready then."

"Huh? But I thought you'd wait around here with Kouji ..."

"Nah ... I wouldn't want to bother the lovebirds." He mumbled, putting on his shoes and heading out to where he left his bike, waving goodbye to Yachi along the way.

He left the locker area just fast enough to not notice a quizzical look on Yachi's face as she tilted her head, watching him leave: "Lovebirds? But ... I thought she liked _you_ , not him ..."

 

~~~

 

As I made my way towards the school gate, I caught a glimpse of something orange glowing in the setting sunlight. Watching Hinata's unruly tufts of hair get tossed around by the wind as he pushed his bike beside him, my heart skipped a beat once more ... just like it did for what, the hundredth time now?

_No ... I have to stop thinking about that!_

"Hinata!" I called out, chasing after him.

He turned around, flashing me a confused smile: "Oh ... it's you ... I thought you were with Kouji?"

"I was, but he has another practice match today - he just left a few minutes ago, I think you can still catch up to him before his bus arrives if-" I stopped mid sentence upon seeing him shake his head slowly.

"I didn't mean it like that ... I don't need him for anything right now, I was just curious." He mumbled, sounding somewhat sad.

"Sorry ... I misunderstood."

"It's okay ... I was just wondering ... I haven't really had time to talk to him much these past few weeks, I guess ... so I totally wouldn't know if something was going on between you two."

"Eh?!" I gasped, unable to hold back my shock. "Me and Kouji?"

"Yes? I mean no, I mean ... gwaaaaah!! Just ... forget I said anything, okay?"

"O-okay ... if you say so." I stuttered, chuckling almost immediately after. "Hinata, you're such an idiot!"

"Haaa? Why am I an idiot?"

"You can't just ship everyone, this isn't a shoujo manga! I think you've spent too much time around Yachi, actually ..."

He shivered at the mention of her name: "I think so too ... she's coming over again today because we have that exam next week and .... my god, I am sooooo tired of English!"

"You poor soul ... well, I wish you good luck!" I said, stopping at my bus station.

"Yeah ... thanks." He smiled at me, but didn't turn around to leave. We stood there looking at each other for a while before he lowered his head, a faint redness spilling over his cheeks as he pointed to the back of his bicycle: "Uhm ... do you ... ehm ... do you want a ride?"

I tilted my head, not grasping what he was getting at: "A ride? On that thing?"

"Well ... yes. Tanaka-senpai always latches on, so I think it must be fun!"

"But ... it's up a mountain." I mumbled, pointing at the winding road ahead of us.

"That's not a problem! Any extra workout is good for me!"

I shrugged my shoulders, stepping closer to his bike. "Okay then - but if we get stranded in the middle of the road, I'm blaming you!"

He got on, another confident smile on his face: "Deal. Hop on and hold tight!"

I followed his advice, wrapping my arms around him from the back as he slowly began to pedal uphill. I couldn't help but giggle here and there as he exerted all his efforts to get to the top of the huge hill, but once the road started heading down and the breeze was blowing in our faces, it actually became ... fun?

For a second, I raised my arms up in the air, screaming at the top of my lungs: "Waaaaahoooooooo!!" In the same moment, I almost lost my balance, causing me to cling to Hinata again, this time much tighter than before. It was only then that I realized how close we were ... how warm he was ... how nice it felt to lean against his back.

Tightening my grip just a bit more, I buried my face in his jacket, my silent whisper getting lost in the hauling wind:

"Hinata ..."

 

~~~

 

Not much later, Hinata stood at the end of her street, watching her walk up to her house after they said their goodbyes. Just like that, she was gone ... and he hated it.

He hated her being gone because now, he had the time to think about everything that just happened and that ... that wasn't good.

That wasn't good at all.

He tried to slow down his breathing, clenching the fabric of his jacket around his chest as he held his bike with his other hand.

_She was just here ... a second ago. I felt her arms around me, I felt her warmth next to me, I ... I was so close to her, I could probably hear her breathing if it weren't for this stupid weather ... this stupid wind. Gwaaaah ... why._

_Why?_

_Why??!_

 

He got back onto his bike, gazing at the cloudy sky above him. During the slow, melancholic ride to his house, it finally hit him: he  _did_  want her to fall in love ... but he wanted her to fall in love with  _him._


	8. Chapter 8

Once he got home, Hinata took his sweet time eating the lunch his mom left for him. It usually tasted great, but that day, he felt as if he was eating cardboard: bland and sad.

Or maybe, that was just the way he was feeling inside and the food had nothing to do with it. But it was easier to blame the noodles for this emptiness inside his soul - it was easier to greet Yachi with a smile once she arrived, easier to at least pretend to follow her lecture for once, easier to promise he'd finish all his homework before going to sleep when he said goodbye to her at the door.

Easier than sitting down and admitting to himself that he fell in love with the girl he was supposed to get together with his best friend.

The girl who obviously liked his best friend.

The girl who would probably be his best friend's girlfriend in a matter of weeks if not days.

After Yachi left and he was alone, he was certain he was going to cry ... and he would, if the doorbell just hadn't happened to ring right before he threw himself head-first onto his bed.

 

~~~

 

_This is stupid ... why did I even come here ... idiot!!_

I was just about to turn around and sneak away from Hinata's house when I suddenly heard the lock click as the door in front of me opened to reveal a confused, yet still handsome face staring at me.

My mind went blank the moment our eyes met. I watched silently as he noticed the tears in my eyes and before I knew it, he took my hand, pulling me into his arms and closing the door behind us with his foot as he held me tight.

"You've been crying ... what happened?"

"I ... I ..."

He hugged me tighter, stroking my hair gently in an attempt to calm me down. "It's okay ... breathe first, okay?"

Taking a deep breath, I slowly hugged him back. "I had a fight about the soccer team ... with my brother ... everything's been kinda tense since they lost the last practice match, but it just exploded today and ... and ... I don't remember the last time we fought so much, I just ... couldn't deal with it anymore. I ran out of the house and next thing I know ... I was here. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. You're probably tired and have better things to do, but ... you said once that ... that I could cry in front of you if ..."

"I did say that. And I meant it - so don't be sorry."

"But ... I feel like I'm imposing on you."

He shook his head, smiling a little. "Silly, why would you say that? We've stayed here talking much longer into the night multiple times, so ... it's not like I was going to sleep already."

"Y-Yeah ... I guess you're right." I mumbled, suddenly realizing that while Yachi, Kouji and I were here together more times than I could count, this was the first time I've come to Hinata's house on my own ... it was just the two of us.

He slowly stepped back, letting me out of his arms but still holding my hand tightly. "Come ... I'll get you some tissues." He sighed, taking me to the living room sofa.

"Thank you."

"Eh ... don't mention it." He said, giggling as he threw a pack of tissues my way before sitting down next to me.

"But ... I have to! I know this whole thing probably won't even matter tomorrow, I know I'm being totally stupid right now ... I just can't help it."

He shrugged his shoulders, his gaze still fixed on me: "So what? Your laughter is crazy stupid too, but I like it. I like you being stupid. So ... what happened with your brother?"

"I tried to have a conversation with him about some of the things he's been doing lately ... at first, I thought that he was improving ever since Kouji showed him a few tricks, but then ... I found out he's been doing extra practice ... and skipping classes because of it. I don't want him to exert himself for no reason ... or at least no good reason. He won't get anywhere doing this! But he completely snapped at me ... yelling and everything. Apparently, I don't understand how important soccer is to him."

"Pshh. That's not true! Of course you know how important it is ... I mean, you take care of the whole team!"

"Yeah."

"And you'd do absolutely everything for any of them!"

"Yup."

"And ... your brother is a dumbass."

"Yea- wait, what? Why?"

He looked at me, almost in shock at the question: "Why? Well ... he's a dumbass because he is a dumbass! Because making you cry is something only a dumbass would do."

Slowly, I smiled at his optimistic enthusiasm. "Shouyou ... thank you."

Before I finished my sentence, he looked away, his gaze dropping down to our hands next to each other on the sofa. "Ahm ... eeeerrrh .... n-no problem."

"What's wrong?" I asked, a little surprised to hear him stutter and even more flustered about the fact how even something as small as that made my heart beat faster.

"You've ... never called me by my name before."

"Oh ... sorry, I ..."

"No, don't apologize for that! I just kinda assumed you didn't think that much of me in the first place ... I thought we were only friends because of circumstance or something."

I laughed a little, lifting my arm to jokingly punch his shoulder. "I literally came crying to your doorstep."

"Yeah but ... if Kouji was home, you'd go to his place instead of mine." He mumbled, his voice so quiet I could barely hear it at the end.

But I did hear it ... and it left me utterly confused. "Why ... why would I do that?"

Still averting his gaze, he opened his mouth, pausing as if he was searching for something more than words. "You know he's in love with you ... right?"

_He's what??!! Holy shit, hold up - Kouji's in love in me?!_

While my mind was screaming, my lips were stone-cold ... I had nothing to say to that.

_For some time now, I dared hope that he was helping me out because you asked him to ... but if that's the reason why, I guess ... I guess you were the one doing him a favor ... which means ... which means ..._

I, too, dropped my gaze to our hands.

_... which means there isn't really a chance you like me ... I should have told Yachi to shut up about that the first time she mentioned it ... but I wanted to hear it. I wanted to think that maybe ... there was a chance._

_But there isn't._

_You don't like me - you're just a nice guy helping out his friend. I'm the idiot who took that the wrong way and made up stupid theories and had stupid hopes and got stuck with all these stupid feelings out of nowhere._

The silence around us was unbearable. I thought it would suffocate me any second now, and it felt so horrible to be this close to the guy I fell in love with and at the same time ... feel a thousand miles apart.

I knew it was pointless ... but I couldn't stop myself from reaching out for his hand.


	9. Chapter 9

Almost as if the whole moment was in slow motion, our fingertips touched, our fingers intertwining for a moment before he lifted his head to look at me, slowly reaching his hand up to my face as he gently pushed aside a few strands of hair before he pressed his forehead against mine:

"I can't blame him though ... you're ... literally everything anyone could ever want."

"Shouyou ..."

Twining my hair between his fingers, he slowly rested his hand on my cheek, somehow oblivious to the burning heat on my skin wherever he touched me: "Did he really not tell you he loves you?"

"He didn't."

"I don't get it ... why ... why ...." he whispered, his breathing faster with each word. "Why hasn't he told you yet? If it were me, I wouldn't be able to shut up about it ... I wouldn't be able to look at you and not tell you ... how much I love you ... oh, if it were me, I'd tell you every single moment over and over again ... how crazy in love with you I am, how stupid I feel for not noticing you before he did, how much I wish I was him ..."

Going insane with happiness from the underlying meaning in his words, I blurted out the first thing on my mind: "Why does it matter? Why does it matter that he saw me first ... if you're the one I fell in love with?"

He shook his head, wrapping his arms around me at the same time. "No ... no ... don't say that. Please ... don't. I can't steal you away from him, I can't ... I can't ... but I can't stop loving you either."

"Neither can I."

Before either of us knew it, the beating of our hearts stopped for a second as our lips touched for the first time. His captivating warmth, his reassuring touch, his quiet breathing as the kiss went on ... I was taken by all of it.

"Shouyou ... I love you." I whispered the moment his lips left mine.,

"I love you too ... oh my god, how much I love you ... I didn't even realize it until now - I mean, I literally didn't realize it until today, but ... _this_  right now didn't help much either."

Slowly, he kissed me again ... and again ... and again. Lost in each other's arms, we didn't give our lips a single moment on their own, craving each other's warmth more than air itself.

 

Pulling away after a long while, he stared into my eyes with a hint of worry in his gaze: "A second ago, I ... I felt as if I'd never be happy again if I let you out of my arms."

"I don't want you to let me go."

Silently, he nodded, hugging me tighter. "I don't want to let you go either ... I don't want to be away from you ... I just want to fall even more in love with you. I want to kiss you a billion more times, I want to hold your hand, I want to tell your brother I'll fight him if he ever makes you cry again, I ... I'm so in love with you ... you have no idea ... even _I_  have no idea!"

"Same .... Shouyou, I feel the same about you! And it's so stupid because Yachi kept teasing me about it and I didn't even want to admit it to myself, but ... I'm head over heels in love with you!"

"Gwaaaaah!" He sighed, burying his face in my neck. "I really don't know what I'm supposed to do right now ... I want to be with you, but that ... that would break Kouji's heart."

"It wouldn't." A deep voice echoed from the other side of the room.

 

Both of us awkwardly looked up, shocked to see Kouji standing there.

"How long have you been there?!" Hinata blurted out, his gaze switching from me to Kouji and back.

"I just got here a second ago ..." he replied, looking over to Shouyou with a smile. "I didn't expect to walk in on anything, really ... to be honest, I just came to talk to you about something, but it would seem my input is no longer necessary."

"Kouji ..."

He shook his head. "No, it's fine. I just wanted to tell you that I'm backing out of this ... because clearly, whenever the three of us hang out, she's stealing glances at you ... not at me. I didn't want to see it ... or admit it to myself. But I guess I have to ... because I've seen the way you look at her as well, and I don't want to be in my best friend's way."

"But Kouji, I don't want to-"

"I know you don't want to hurt me ... you've always been like that, you know? Taking care of your friends so everyone would be happy ... but we're not kids anymore, are we? You can never make everyone happy in the real world, and yeah ... it sucks, it hurts, but ..." He paused, a lone tear rolling down his cheek. "But I'd rather see at least you two be happy."

"Do-Do you really mean that?"

He nodded, resolve clear in his eyes as he wiped the tear away. "Yes. I came here to tell you to make a move on her already for heaven's sake, but seeing as I've missed my cue ... I'll be off now. Best of luck to you two!" He called out before turning around and leaving through the door as unexpectedly as he came.

 

We looked at each other in confusion, both blushing when our gazes met.

"Well ..." he mumbled, breaking the silence. "... I didn't expect that."

"Me neither ..."

Without a moment to spare, he pulled me back into his arms, his lips moving closer to mine ... but stopping right before.

"Shouyou? Is something wrong?" I whispered, reaching my hands up to touch his face as we stared into each other's eyes.

"No ... actually ... uhm ... do you like it when I kiss you?" He mumbled, his cheeks growing hotter under my palms.

I smiled, unable to turn a blind eye to how adorable he looked: "Of course I do. Why would you even ask that?"

"Because ... I'm usually not any good at anything that's not volleyball related."

"Hmm, we'll see about that." I smirked, closing the gap between our lips for just a moment. "I think you'd be pretty good at being my boyfriend."

"Is that a challenge?" He asked, a mischievous smile flashing across his face.

"Yes."

"Accepted!" He said, kissing me again just like he did before.

I kissed him back, my lips turning into a smile against his as the realization of what just happened finally hit me.

_It's like I'm barely capable of catching up with my own emotions ... like he's taken all of me ... by complete accident._

_Shouyou, I didn't mean to fall in love with you. I really didn't._

_But I did._

_And I'm glad you did too._


	10. Chapter 10

The next day, Yachi snuck up on me during lunch break, almost scaring me to death:

"Gwaaaahaaa! Woah, what's wrong with you?!"

"Nothing!"

"You'll give me a heart attack some day."

"I won't - I promise! So?"

I rolled my eyes, glancing at her: "Really?"

"Oh yes. You're net getting out of this one!"

I sighed, purposefully exaggerating my words: "You were right about me and Shouyou. Your ship was spot on all along. You're the best, Yachi."

"I didn't mean that, you silly!"

"Then what?"

"Pshh ... you can't just show up to morning practice with him and have him introduce you to everyone as his girlfriend without telling me all the details of how it happened! Because, let's be honest here, I knew this would happen, but it was so sudden!"

"Yeah ... I know. I actually have no idea if it's the right thing to do, but ... it feels right?"

She shrugged her shoulders, smiling at me. "We've all been hanging out for a while now, right? If you both like each other, I don't see why you wouldn't try dating. It's not like it's the end of the world if it doesn't work out - but if it does, I want a maid of honor spot reserved at your wedding, got it?"

"Yachi!!! Please, don't say things like that!" I mumbled, blushing as I tried to contain my laughter.

"Oh, oh ... I do apologize! I shouldn't have made you laugh."

"Since when is that? You're always trying to make me look like a complete weirdo!"

"No more, my dear. No more. Making you laugh is Hinata's job now ... hey, wait, don't blush at that! I wasn't joking!"

"He did say he likes my laughter, so ..."

"Ah, I see. Love is not only blind, it is also deaf."

I lightly punched her shoulder, trying to look as offended as possible: "You meanie! How dare you say something like that. Pshh, I think I'll go eat my lunch somewhere else."

"How about eating it with me then?"

I turned around, seeing my brother standing behind us. "Fumio? Hey there ..." I mumbled, still unsure of what to make of yesterday's fight.

Reading the situation, Yachi quickly made up some bullshit excuse and bolted out of there, leaving the two of us alone.

"So, is that a yes or no?"

I nodded slightly, hesitantly looking up at him as we went to find an empty bench outside. "I'm still mad at you for yesterday, you know?"

"I know. I came to apologize for that actually ... I took some time to think about what you said to me and ... I'm kind of ashamed of myself for snapping at you."

"You should be."

"Yeah ..." He mumbled, his gaze dropping to his feet. "So, did you really break the hearts of the whole soccer team?"

"Huh?"

He smiled, carefully gazing at me from the side: "I'm talking about the ginger-haired chibi who got all up in my face this morning about how I should treat my sister better because as her boyfriend, he won't let me make her cry."

"Oh ... well, me and Shouyou are together now, yes." I blurted out, not really knowing what to say to that.

He stood up, ruffling my hair in the process: "I'm glad I get to see my little sis growing up. See ya at practice later!"

"You're leaving already?"

He reached out his arm, pointing towards the school building: "I think there's some else whose company you'll enjoy more than mine."

I turned around, seeing Shouyou walking up to me. He stared after my brother as he left for a few seconds before sitting down next to me, a huge smile on his face: "You look happier today."

"Thank you ... you didn't have to go talk to him, you know ..."

He reached for my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine. "I know - but I wanted to do something about it because I want to see you happy. Still ... gwaaaaah, it was scary! I was hoping he wouldn't freak out when I said I was your boyfriend."

"Did he?"

"Kinda ... but not the way I imagined it! He just shut his mouth and stared at me for a while before saying he's sorry for causing trouble."

I chuckled, trying to imagine his face. "I'd love to see that, actually ... too bad I missed it. By the way, I wanted to ask if you'd like to meet the rest of my family sometime?"

"I'd love to." He whispered, gently kissing my cheek before his lips found their way to mine.

I pulled away before the kiss deepened, staring at his gorgeous eyes: "Shouyou ... I love you."

"I love you too. And I hope I'll get to tell you that for the rest of my life."

I laughed, thinking once again how much statements like these reminded me of Yachi. "You're extremely romantic, has anyone ever told you that?"

"Why? You don't like it?"

"I do, it's just ... life's not a shoujo manga. People change and things happen and stuff goes wrong all the time, so-"

Before I could wander off completely, he cut me off with a quick kiss: "I know. I'm not saying we'll be together forever ... just that I wish we would be."

Blushing at his words, I dropped my gaze away from his face. "Shouyou, that's ... I mean ... yes. I want the same thing. I want to see your smile every single day of my life."

"Well ... then there's no problem." He said, lifting up my face to kiss me again. "People tell me I'm too reckless all the time, but I don't plan ever risking losing you ... ever."

 

We got lost in each other's kisses, almost running late for class. Having to run down the hallway wasn't ideal, but as I stole glances at his face while we dashed up the stairs side by side, it was somehow ... okay?

Showing him my tears ... not hiding my worries ... laughing without a care in the world ... it was okay with him.

I always thought that making people happy meant giving them your best, but Shouyou managed to take my worst.

And all he asked for in return was that I take his heart.


	11. The Epilogue

The sound of a tea spoon hitting the glass sounded through the wedding hall.

Both Shouyou and I immediately looked around only to see Yachi standing up at the table next to ours, ready to begin her speech.

He leaned closer to me, whispering into my ear with a playful smile: "I am very much afraid of hearing this."

"So am I - but I promised her she gets to do it."

"Really? When was that?"

"Oh, a long time ago." I mused, glancing at Yachi's almost devilish smile.

She spoke up, trying her best not to laugh at the same time: "Dearly beloved ... all of us gathered here today have something in common: we've spent at least some part of the last six years with these two idiots. I'll never forget the first time I met either of them: she was laughing like a hyena on drugs and he was too busy chasing volleyballs to see literally anything around him. When I told her they'd be perfect for each other, I was half-joking at first ... but a part of me really meant it. When they started dating, I was over the moon to see them so happy ... and also, I was right and that's a good feeling to have, right? Right. Anyway ... as I was thinking of a proper speech, something came to my mind last night: they say first loves never last, and some of you who've only met these two not too long ago might say that they're the perfect example of why that's not true. But while stupid and silly, that quote is entirely true - and tonight, I want to celebrate the fact that they're the perfect proof of that."

She paused for a moment, filling up her glass and raising it high: "First loves never last ... I don't know if they knew that or if they just feared growing too complacent with each other ... but they've never let their love sit in the same place for too long. Over the past six years, they have changed so much ... and instead of leaving their love behind like so many people do, they've put all their effort into shaping those feelings and making them grow alongside their two lives. I've seen them laugh with each other, I've seen them cry with each other, I've seen them cry _because_ of each other too ... but through trial and error, I can say with utmost certainty that these two lovers we see here today have nothing to do with a "first love." They are two wonderful people, and neither of them loves the other the same way they did six years ago ... because they mean so much to each other, they were never afraid of changing their love into whatever they needed it to be. May this toast be to a long and prosperous marriage!"

Laughter filled the hall, some people even clapping for her speech. Amidst the commotion, the two of us stared at each other, tears in our eyes.

He reached to hold my hand, trying to blink away the tears: "Wow, I ... I have no words .... that was actually beautiful."

I smiled, looking at how worn out his palms seemed from all the blocking he's been doing on the national team. As my gaze traveled up to his face, it finally hit me just how right Yachi was: his smile has calmed down, his hair was cut shorter than in his high school days, he even grew a little taller ... but he still had the same spark in his eyes whenever he looked at me. I loved him differently now than I did back then ... but I loved him still, possibly twice as much as ever before.

I felt him looking at me the same way I was looking at him. His gaze traveled from my hands up to my face, staring lovingly at my eyes which, for the first time in a long while, didn't have dark circles underneath them. I chuckled a little, thinking of all the times I complained about how little sleep medical college was allowing me, when he'd just tell me that even if I looked like a raccoon, I was still the prettiest raccoon he had ever seen.

"I love you."

Both of our voices got lost in the festive noise ... but we liked it that way. Our guests having fun at dinner meant more moments for us to silently stare at each other, exchanging smiles and kisses whenever we wanted.

"Do you want to have another dance when we finish our food?"

I nodded, smiling: "I'd love to."

"Does that mean I'm a good dancer?"

"Nope."

He laughed, almost spitting out his drink. "Wow ... so brutally honest."

"Does it bother you?" I teased him, smirking just a little.

"Not at all ... seeing how you have no trouble saying that to my face makes me happy, actually."

"Really? Why?"

Now he was the one smirking as he leaned closer to me: "Because it means that the first time I asked you if you liked my kisses and you said yes ... you really meant it."

"Of course I did ... and I still do."

 

Hours later, as we were saying goodbye to the guests, Kouji came up to us, wearing a huge smile on his face. I stood next to him and Shouyou, watching as the two caught up with each other's lives: I still had a hard time believing they've managed to stay friends through everything that happened, but I was happy for them.

_I do't think I could live with myself if you'd lose your best friend because of me, Shouyou ... I'm glad this has worked out the way it did._

Sure, they had much less time to see each other now that both of them were playing on national teams, but it hardly mattered if they got to see each other once a month or twice a year - they were best friends, and seeing Kouji made Shouyou happy. Silently thanking the soccer star for getting over me all those years ago, I was just about to silently leave and go find Yachi to thank her for her speech when he suddenly called out to me:

"Hey, get over here! I have something to tell you guys ... both of you, that is."

"Oh, I wonder what it is?" I asked, looking at Shouyou who shrugged his shoulders, just as clueless as I was.

"No idea. Did you finally get a new girlfriend, Kouji? It's about time! When was your last break up, like two years ago?"

"Pshh ... you're still overly concerned about my love life, I see."

"What can I do? You're my best friend, I want you to be happy! And trust me, there's no greater happiness than loving someone, and having them love you back."

"I know." Kouji mumbled, looking down the hallway behind him where Yachi showed up from around the corner at that very moment.

Smiling at the three of us, she ran up to him, taking his hand: "Hey, I'm sorry I'm late!"

I stared at them for a second before it finally hit me: "Wait ... no ... no way!"

Beaming with happiness, Kouji nodded: "Yes. I guess we just ... got closer while preparing for the wedding?"

"Why didn't you tell me?!" I asked, turning to Yachi who had a smile just as big on her face.

"Well ... he wanted to make it a surprise."

"It clearly worked - I've never been more surprised in my life!" Hinata said, patting Kouji on the back. "Great catch, bro ... great catch. I didn't even know you liked her! You should have said something, I could have helped set you two up sooner!"

Shooting him a sideways glance, Kouji pulled Yachi into his arms, hugging her tight. "Seriously, Shouyou? I'm not making the mistake of asking you to be my wingman ever again, trust me!"

We all laughed about it, but the love of my life just stood there, taking my hand and kissing my cheek as the laughter died down:

**"Oh, don't worry ... now that I have her, I'm never flying away."**


End file.
